Unwinding After A Fight
by SerenityQuill
Summary: Serenity is attacked by Reavers but the crew successfully fights them back. Everyone has their own way of unwinding after a fight, but Kaylee is left alone in her bunk and can't seem to stop trembling. Then, she thinks of Inara... [slash]


Kaylee couldn't believe they had escaped from the Reavers alive. It had been a close call. The bastards had boarded their ship while everyone was asleep, including Wash, but the _Serenity_ crew fought them back. Fought them back with sleepy eyes and foggy brains. Fought them back and won. Really, it was Mal, Zoe, Jayne, and Book who battled them.

They used guns and hand-to-hand combat techniques that Kaylee couldn't even fathom. Couldn't even process the blood and gore. The fear ripping through her body. The trembles at still remained. Once River realized her brother was in danger, even River joined in and when that happened it was all over. That girl could fight. Shiny, she could fight. Kaylee hadn't done anything, really, save for removing their ship's docking mechs from _Serenity_ and making sure it didn't blow in the process. She'd come face to face with one of them, a Reaver, and whacked it with her wrench but then Mal shot it in the face and ended its life. Thank the stars, he finished it off.

Once they had beat the Reavers back and destroyed their docking mechs, _Serenity_ had escaped, remarkably unscathed. Mal and Jayne were drinking, Wash and Zoe took over the flight deck, River and Simon went back to their bunk, as did Book. Kaylee had wanted to stay with Inara tonight, but she had gotten a scratch on her arm and rested in the med bay. Would be right to sleep in her bunk without her in it. So she slept in her own bunk instead.

Or tried to sleep. The anxiety still filled Kaylee. Making her arms tremble, her chin waver, her eyes swim with tears. She was still so frightened. She tried making something, twisting wires and bolting metal to each other, but it didn't help.

But she had to sleep. Had to. The engine purred like a kit for now but who knows what else the Reavers could've done to it. She'd have to do a full check in the morning after a few hours sleep. She thought of Inara, resting comfortably with meds running through her system. How Inara looked, all calm and such. How beautifully the bedsheets would rest over her curves. Inara always helped her sooth her anxiety, so maybe she could help now, too.

Rolling her shoulders, Kaylee leaned back into her bed and remembered the way Inara's hands felt while brushing hair. The smooth way they parted her locks and pulled it into a bun. The soft feather-light touches when she wiped away the dirt and grime and engine oil of the day. The lovely citrus smell of her skin as she leaned closer and kissed Kaylee that one time. Kissed her full on the lips. Shiny, and how wonderful that felt. A flutter started in her stomach, slowly pushing away the anxiety and fear.

Finally, Kaylee let the tension fall away. She thought of the way Inara's hand felt entwined in hers moments before. How warm it was. How soft. Of how when Inara spoke, her whisper so close to Kaylee's ear it tickled. Kayle titled her head and smiled.

The fluttering in her stomach coiled now. Tightened to an anxious level. This was a stress she could deal with. She closed her eyes and ran her hands over her stomach, pushing her shirt up and off her skin. She imagined Inara's hands, not her own, doing this. Of Inara leaning over her, cupping her breasts, toying with her nipples. Kaylee flicked one and gasped. She moaned softly. Kaylee thought of how Inara would slip one finger, then two, into her. How they would lock eyes—Inara's deep brown eyes—as they made love.

Kaylee rocked into her hand, faster, harder, as the tension in her body coiled tighter still. She imagined how Inara would feel against her, of how warm her first mate would be. Of how Inara would gently lick Kaylee's neck, nibble on her earlobe, envelope her mouth in a kiss. Of how Inara's hair would spill over her shoulders. Of how beautiful Inara would look. Of how beautiful Inara is. Kaylee thrust one more time and curled her fingers, unknotting the tension wound inside her. The knot gave, spilling over her in waves.

She waited until her trembling stopped before gently slipping her fingers out of herself. Kaylee smiled. She'd have to thank Inara for that later. Surely they would kiss again. Of course they would. She relaxed, sighing happily, and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

SQ: Hey, guys, long time no stories, eh? Sorry about that. Life got kinda crazy after graduation and such, but I'm slowly easing back into the fanfic writing scene. I wanted to do a short, fluff piece like this to cleanse my palate a bit. Hope you enjoyed it!

Also, SUPER EXCITING FUN NEWS (and one of the reasons why I was so busy after graduation): My book _Losing Hold_ was published by Desert Palm Press! It's a continuation of _Finding Hekate_ 's story with Mia and Cassidy and the rest of the _Eclipse_ crew and has a *ahem* romantic scene in it that I'm quite proud of. If you like science fiction, romance, and two badass lesbians, check it out! You can find it on Amazon, Bella Books, Barnes  & Nobles, or you can just follow the link in my profile!


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